


Black Butterflies and Deja Vu

by CelestialTitania



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akuma Attack, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Identity Reveal, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:27:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28702152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialTitania/pseuds/CelestialTitania
Summary: Adrien has always wanted to know who Ladybug was underneath the mask. One akuma attack and a picnic later, he finally gets his wish.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 14
Kudos: 172





	Black Butterflies and Deja Vu

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to wretchedhearts for betaing! Hope everyone enjoys!

Adrien sighed for the umpteenth time, gazing at a picture of Ladybug on his monitor. She was amazing, he couldn't help it. Her dark blue-black hair tightly held with those bright red ribbons, her piercing bluebell gaze, that righteous determination...she was just incredible.

Adrien had spent a rather long amount of time surfing the web. He'd wanted to find some of his favourite pictures of Ladybug. Not that there ever could be a picture of Ladybug that he would _dislike_ , but there were some which were precious memories. Moments that he remembered so clearly of her, smiling or laughing at a pun he'd made. Those were some of the memories he cherished and looking at the pictures from then brought back all those warm and fuzzy feelings.

"Are you going to do anything else?" Plagg asked irritably. He flew right in front of Adrien, eating Camembert, as usual, making Adrien wince at the smell of the pungent cheese.

"What else is there to do?" He asked mildly. He'd already finished his lessons and homework, as well as piano practice. There was nothing else that demanded his attention.

"Eat cheese, of course!" Plagg told him happily, making Adrien both roll his eyes and smile fondly at his kwami.

"I think I'll leave that to you, Plagg." Adrien went back to staring at his monitor. Idly, he wondered if he knew the girl behind the mask or if he would ever get the chance to truly know her without any secrets getting in the way.

There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much that sometimes he didn't even know where he would begin if given the chance. He paced the room for a little bit, wishing he could escape and be with the people he cared about.

"You alright, kid?" Plagg asked, putting his cheese down. Adrien couldn't help but smile at his kwami. He didn't know where he would be without him.

"Just thinking," Adrien shrugged.

Plagg made a sound of disapproval. "You know thinking never helped anyone." Adrien laughed, as he fell backwards on his bed.

"I want to tell her," he sighed, staring up at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

Plagg zoomed in and out of the corner of his eye before popping right above him. "Tell who what?"

"Tell Ladybug how I feel of course!" Adrien knew she didn't feel the same way for him, it was clear in the way she brushed him off or thought his flirting was just a joke. And then, of course, there was the matter of that other boy. The one she had a crush on.

Adrien's face fell at the thought. Jealously, he wondered what Ladybug would want to tell that boy and how she would confess her feelings to whoever he was.

He consoled himself by thinking that she hadn't told that boy yet, which also meant they weren't together yet. Whatever, it was the boy's loss. Adrien on the other hand, would never stop trying to woo his Lady and one day, he hoped at least, she would be able to move on and consider him as an option.

"I just wish she knew how much I care for her," Adrien shrugged. He could never articulate his feelings properly in front of her. It was as if his brain stopped functioning in her presence.

He shook his head as he reached for his phone, automatically searching up more Ladybug pictures. Her bright smile filled his screen and he gave another sigh, more lovesick this time than anything else.

"I want to see her."

"Well, you might just get your wish," Plagg hummed as he hovered over Adrien's open monitor. There the news channel was broadcasting an akuma attack near the Louvre. "Then again, your pining isn't all that bad with cheese," Plagg was musing.

"No time!" Adrien said eyes lit with excitement. "Plagg, Claws Out!" Transformed, Adrien slipped out of the large windows, eager to meet his Lady.

As Adrien raced along the rooftops, trying to get to the Louvre in record time, he heard a sweet voice call out to him. He turned to see Ladybug swinging in next to him.

"Not often we meet up on the way to battle," she teased.

"But what a pleasure it is, milady. Any idea what the akuma is?"

"I wasn't paying attention to the news broadcast. I just ran out as soon as I heard the word akuma," Ladybug shrugged sheepishly.

He let out a laugh. "We're two peas in a pod, Bugaboo." She rolled her eyes at him but didn't say anything so Adrien beamed as he kept moving forward.

"Look!" Ladybug pointed downwards, once they'd gotten close enough. "Just what is happening down there?"

It was a weird-looking akuma, a rectangular-shaped person with pole-like arms and legs and their body was littered with buttons. It was shooting beams of light out of the screen above their face. Ladybug and Adrien glanced at each other in confusion. "What _is_ that?" Adrien whispered in bafflement.

Ladybug leant forward, trying to take a closer look. "It's familiar somehow?" They looked at each other, months of battling together had made it easy for them to understand each other's signals.

"I am the Ticketmaster!" The akuma was roaring. "I will turn everyone into tickets!" Each time a light beam hit someone, that person was transformed into a marble statue of a ticket.

Adrien nodded at Ladybug before jumping into the fray. "Looks like you're more _ticket_ off than anything else!"

The Ticketmaster turned around, surprisingly fast for someone with such a bulky, uncomfortable frame. He tried shooting his light beams at Adrien, but he quickly jumped out of the way.

Ladybug's yoyo came tying itself around one of the Ticketmaster's hands. He gave a vicious tug, causing Ladybug to topple to the floor. Adrien retaliated by jumping on top of him and trying to hit him with his baton. "Would you wait for a _ticket_?"

The Ticketmaster dodged. "Give me your miraculous!" He cried as he continued shooting them with light beams.

Adrien scoffed as he continued trying to attack. He didn't see anything on the Ticketmaster which could be the akumatized object. While he attacked, the Ticketmaster ignored him, his focus on targeting Ladybug.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug called out to him. He risked a quick look at her where she pointed upwards. Guess it was time to regroup and come up with a plan. Kicking Ticketmaster in his middle, making him wobble and stop attacking long enough to regain his balance, Adrien extended his baton to join Ladybug on a nearby roof.

"Well, m'Lady? What are we to do about him? Did you see what the akumatized object was?"

She seemed deep in thought. Slowly she spoke, "I think the akuma is in one of his buttons."

"His buttons?" Adrien repeated flatly. "Which one?"

"The big green one, right next to the screen," Ladybug winced.

"How do you _know_ that?" Adrien exclaimed.

"A hunch?" Ladybug shrugged. "I'm not sure but he keeps fiddling with the button. It's either that or the screen itself."

"Well, how are we supposed to get close enough to get at it?" He asked her, brows furrowed. "He's rather quick to attack, I'm afraid."

Ladybug gave him a determined nod before calling out for a Lucky Charm. Down fell a sponge.

Adrien gave it a disbelieving look. "That's helpful," he snarked. She gave him a look in return while her brows furrowed in concentration.

"Got it!" She exclaimed after a moment, a bright grin on her face. For just a second, Chat couldn't breathe. She was dazzling when she was so sure of her success. Especially with the sun falling on her, just so, giving her a golden effect.

He wanted to say something, tell her how amazing she was, but he couldn't find the words. Besides, Ladybug was too busy, as she instructed him to go attack and wait for her cue, right before she stole his belt.

He yelped as his 'tail' was ripped away. "I need this," she said in apology before swinging away so she could put her plan into action.

He called out but she didn't turn back. "Be nice if you would explain for once," he grumbled before launching himself at the akuma once again.

"Hello again!" Adrien greeted cheerfully, making the Ticketmaster snarl. "I know, I'm tired too but haven't you heard? There's no rest for the _ticket_!" He dodged another light beam, as he tried hitting Ticketmaster with his baton.

"I think I might become a _master_ at this soon!" He glanced around, what was Ladybug waiting for. As he leapt to avoid yet another beam, Ladybug called out.

"Ticketmaster!" She was standing near him. As Ticketmaster came near her, Ladybug only dodged the occasion beams, letting him come closer, right until he was standing in between a wall of cars.

"Chat Noir!" She called out, signalling for him to bring the Ticketmaster towards her. Adrien lured the Ticketmaster with more puns as the akuma grew angrier and angrier. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Ladybug climb the car wall until she was hanging upside down from it like a spider.

Adrien didn't know what she was planning but he knew that he trusted her. Ticketmaster was cackling, as Adrien spun the Ticketmaster around so his back was to the wall and pretended to fall.

Quick as can be, Ladybug tied the sponge around the Ticketmaster's face and Adrien summoned his Cataclysm. Her yoyo had bound his hands and unable to see, he was unable to shoot his light beams.

With a single touch of his cataclysm, the button broke and the akuma flew out. Ladybug easily purified it and cast her miraculous cure. "Pound it!" She exclaimed happily as Adrien tapped his fist against hers.

The young man who had been akumatized looked up at them. "Ladybug? Chat Noir?" He stared up at them in confusion before seeming to realize what had happened. He groaned as Adrien helped him up.

"You alright?" Ladybug asked the man, a worried expression on her face.

He nodded. "Had a bad day and it caught up with me I suppose. Tiring when people try to sneak in without a ticket. Sorry for...well, attacking you both."

They waved the man off and helped him get back to work. The beeps of their miraculous reminded both heroes that it was time to leave. Before Ladybug could leave, Adrien called out to her.

She turned to face him, curiosity brimming in her eyes. He paused for a moment before blurting out what he wanted to say. "Ladybug, will you come to Rooftop 3 tonight?" They had specific rooftops they liked spending time on, while they watched the city.

Ladybug watched him for a moment as she hesitated. "Please, Ladybug?" She sighed as she relented, promising him she would be there. The decision to ask her had been impulsive but he was ecstatic she had agreed to come. Quickly waving Ladybug goodbye, he used his baton to propel him back home.

* * *

Adrien took a deep breath as he surveyed his handiwork. Soft blanket to sit on and plenty of food. Nothing that was overtly romantic and would make Ladybug uncomfortable. He glanced at the sky where the last vestiges of the sun were about to fade before looking at the clock in his baton. Where was she?

As if the thought had summoned her, that was when Ladybug made her entrance.

"Hey, Kitty," She greeted him.

"M'Lady," he gave her a sweeping bow in welcome. She looked hesitant as she stepped forward and took in his preparations. She blinked in surprise at what she found, her shoulders relaxing and a smile spreading across her face.

"Do you like it?" Adrien asked, a tinge of hope in his voice. "It's been such a difficult time lately, especially for you as the Guardian, I thought it would be nice to just relax together. As friends!" He was quick to add.

Ladybug gave him a soft look before stepping closer to him. "It's wonderful," she told him, as she laid a hand on his face and softly pecked his other cheek.

Her lips were soft but he was unable to enjoy the feeling of Ladybug kissing him. The swift motion through which she kissed his cheek was oddly reminiscent. It reminded him of sunsets, and friends and heroes.

"Marinette," he softly whispered as Ladybug pulled away from him, his mind a million years away.

"What?!" Ladybug shrieked in alarm. Quickly, he raised his eyes to meet hers, worried an akuma had found them.

"Marinette? Who-who's Marinette?" Ladybug blurted out, face pale and eyes wide.

Adrien stared at her in disbelief. How did Ladybug forget Marinette? As Chat Noir, she was the one who introduced her to him!

"Marinette is…" before Adrien could remind Ladybug about Marinette, the wonderfully, sweet girl he was lucky to be friends with, Ladybug frantically shook her head,

"You're wrong! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Adrien felt a frown grow on his face, wondering if he'd spoken his thoughts on Marinette aloud. Then he frowned deeper, realizing if he had spoken aloud that meant Ladybug seemed to dislike Marinette. It was the only possible explanation. "Of course I do! I have proof!"

Would someone who wasn't a complete angel give Adrien her lucky charm? Or be so helpful with akumas? Marinette had practically been a pro as Multimouse. He was just sad they couldn't bring her onto the team more often. No, he didn't think there was anything not sweet about Marinette at all.

"Proof?" Ladybug squeaked, her face pale.

Adrien crossed his arms across his chest. "Yes, proof! Nothing you do or say will change my mind about this!"

Ladybug looked utterly terrified, as she took in deep breaths trying to calm herself down.

"Ladybug?" Adrien questioned gently, realizing that however wonderful he thought Marinette was, the possibility that Ladybug may have had a misunderstanding with her somehow. He, himself, had had such a misunderstanding when he'd first met Marinette. He'd simply have to clear the air. He'd just decided that when Ladybug stifled a scream. He paused letting her calm down before questioning her.

"How did you know I'm Marinette? Where'd you get this _proof_ from?" Ladybug questioned, her voice quiet as a whisper but deadly serious.

Adrien felt his jaw drop. It felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together and arranging themselves in front of him.

"I…. _huh_?" That was all Adrien could say, feeling himself at a loss for words.

"Chat Noir! You said you had proof! What is it?" Ladybug was demanding furiously, clearly terrified she had been too lax in protecting her secret identity. However, Adrien was far too busy trying to put his world back in order, to reassure her.

Dumbly, Adrien raised his hand to point at her. "Marinette?" His voice came out strangled.

"What?" Ladybug hissed, as she leaned in, eyes wide. "Tell me!"

"You're _Marinette_ ," Adrien whispered again, feeling like he was unable to breathe. He hadn't seen this coming. Why hadn't he seen this coming?

Ladybug looked at him weirdly. "Why are you acting so surprised? You're the one who said...oh. _Oh no!_ " Ladybug trailed off in horror. "Y-you _did_ know I was Marinette, right?" She stuttered out slowly, a small sprinkle of hope in her voice.

Silently, he shook his head still trying to take everything in as he slowly slumped to the ground. Ladybug...no _Marinette_ buried her face in her hands as she let out a soft scream.

"Why did you say my name then?" Marinette demanded once she'd calmed down, her hands on her hips.

"I got nostalgic! I'm sorry, I didn't know!"

"Nostalgic for what?"

"Well…" Adrien scratched his cheek awkwardly, "From when you kissed me on the cheek, it reminded me of when you did it to me as Marinette."

Marinette only seemed to grow more confused. "What are you talking about? I haven't done that with anyone except…" slowly Marinette raised a trembling finger to point at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape. She swallowed hard before softly whispering "Adrien?"

If he hadn't been standing next to her, he never would have heard her. As it was, all Adrien could do was give her a sheepish grin as she fell down to sit next to him.

" _You're_ Adrien?" Ladybug asked, breathlessly.

Adrien let out a small chuckle. "That hard to believe m'Lady?" He joked before wincing as he remembered. She wasn't just his Lady, no she was Marinette. He was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize Ladybug was still speaking until she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad it's you, Adrien," she declared, her gaze warm and fierce.

He stared at her, finally seeing the Marinette he knew appear from behind Ladybug's mask. Of course, the two most amazing girls he knew could only be one person. Adrien shouldn't have bothered guessing otherwise.

"I'm really glad it's you too, Marinette." She smiled at him, a little hesitantly. He could tell what she was thinking, as he rubbed the back of his neck. They had never expected to find out about each other's identities this way. Where were they supposed to go from here?

Marinette seemed to sway between one decision and another before she finally made up her mind.

"Let's enjoy this wonderful picnic you put together," she suggested. Adrien looked at her inquisitively, making her shrug. "We can deal with everything else later. I'd rather have a moment to enjoy this, don't you?"

Adrien wanted to nod and enjoy the moment but his feelings got the better of him. "I love you," he blurted out. Marinette froze as she slowly turned to look at him. He put a clawed hand over her gloved one. "I always knew I would love the girl beneath the mask, but now I really know for sure." He gave her a soft, bittersweet smile.

"I know you're in love with someone else, I just had to tell you." Slowly, Adrien pulled away from Marinette but before he could get very far, she put her hands on his face and yanked him forwards.

Adrien's eyes widened in surprise as Marinette crashed his lips onto hers. He was so surprised, he couldn't process what was happening until it ended. All he could do was gape at her uselessly.

"You. You're the boy I've been in love with," Marinette told him breathlessly, as she anxiously waited for his reaction. Adrien blinked slowly before raising his hand to point at himself.

"Me?" Marinette nodded quickly. " _Me?_ " He said again, unable to comprehend it.

"Yes, you."

"You've been rejecting me for….me?" That made Marinette groan and hide her face in her hands, snapping Adrien out of his shock. Within moments, a huge grin had overtaken his face as he tugged Marinette's hands away from her face.

She gazed up at him, her long, dark lashes making her pretty bluebell eyes glitter. Slowly, hesitantly, he leaned in, to properly kiss her this time. It was only a sweet, chaste peck but Adrien could hear the fireworks going off and the ladybugs in his stomach were fluttering.

He pulled away, only to rest his forehead on hers. "We were so blind," he whispered softly.

"What does this mean?" Marinette questioned slowly, gesturing between them.

"Ladybug. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Will you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" Adrien asked cheekily, though inwardly his heart had leapt into his throat as he waited for her reply.

She threw her head back and laughed. Adrien was terrified for a moment before she cupped his face gently. "Of course I will, you silly kitty. I love you too, Adrien."

Adrien beamed at her, as he felt his heart swell. He didn't remember the last time he had been this happy.

"Now, you put so much effort into this picnic. Let's not let it go to waste, hmm?" Marinette tilted her head to look at him. She was so cute, all Adrien wanted to do was cuddle her and never let go.

He watched as Marinette began to blush, a deep, bright red. "I-It's a bit s-soon for cuddling but we could, maybe h-hold hands?"

Adrien blinked as he realized he had spoken out loud. His moment of surprise had Marinette reeling backwards as she frantically waved her hands. "Of course we don't have to, it was just a suggestion, silly me!" She was saying as she tried to divert his attention.

Quickly, before she could panic too much, Adrien grabbed her hand with his own. "I'd love to hold hands," he told her, as he fought to keep the silly smile off his face.

Marinette blushed lightly, as she let him lace her fingers with his. "O-okay," she whispered, her gaze on their hands. "L-let's eat," she suggested.

Adrien smiled and leaned his head against her shoulder. "Yeah, alright."

They sat there, enjoying each other's company even as the moon rose and the stars twinkled in the night sky. The entire time they sat there, they didn't let go of each other once.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> If you are a writer, artist or reader and would like to join a wonderful community filled with amazing people where you can discuss theories or just generally chat about MLB and its characters, come join us at the Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server!


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